Lady Cats Open Holiday Classic with 8th Straight Win

MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The (RV) Bethel Lady Wildcats opened the Holiday Classic Friday night in Crisp Arena with a hard fought 56-47 victory over the Bellevue Bruins.

The Lady Cats led 27-25 at the half and used an 18-11 third quarter to pull away to win. Each squad scored 11 points in the fourth stanza.

Bethel's defense was a key factor in the game. The Cats held the Bruins to just 23 percent from the floor. The Bruins hit nine three pointers allowing them to hang in the game. Bethel shot 36 percent from the field and hit seven threes. Bethel hit 13-of-18 free throw attempts. Bellevue was 6-of-6 from the line.

Madison Hart led the Cats with 20 points and six rebounds. Kylie Reynolds and Alyia Lee followed with 12 points each. Lee had a team high seven rebounds.

Brandi Dunn led the Bruins with 16 points.

Coach Chris Nelson commented on the win. "Tonight was a hard-fought win. The game went how we anticipated it to go. They do a great job of being physical and taking you out of things you like to do on offense. We were proud of our ladies for grinding it out in a game where points were tough to come by. We will enjoy this victory and let the team enjoy it tonight as they have been working hard. We have a quick turnaround and I know they are excited to play again tomorrow."

Bethel improved to 8-2 while Bellevue fell to 4-5 on the season. It was Bethel's eight straight win.

The Lady Cats will meet Harris Stowe Saturday at 2 p.m. to close out the classic. The Hornets fell to Lindsey Wilson in the other Friday night affair.

 Saturday's line-up:

Lindsey Wilson vs. Bellevue -Noon

Bethel vs. Harris- Stowe -2 p.m.

 Tickets:

Bethel Box Office - Bethel University TN (bethelathletics.com)

Live Stats:

2023-24 Women's Basketball Schedule - Bethel University TN (bethelathletics.com)

Live Video:

Wildcat Streaming - Bethel University TN (bethelathletics.com)